Insect-trap



W. l]. JOHNSON.

INSECT TRAP. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28, ms.

Patented July 27, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I WILLIAM B. JOHNSON, or OAKLAND,- CALIFORNIA.

INSECT-TRAP.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J 1y 27, 1920ApplicationifiledJuneQS, 1919. Serial No. 307,381.

To all whom it may concern:

Be'it known that I, WILLIAM DRYBURGH JOHNSON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State ofCalifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inInsect-T raps, of which the following is a speci-.

fication, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings. r r

This invention relates to insect traps,.and more particularly to a trapdesigned for catching flies and other insects of that character in whicha casing or cage-of wire netting is used having a contracted entranceopening by which the insects secure entrance to the cage, the contractedopening, however,

preventing the exit of the insect from the cage. V

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a trap in which theparts are detachably engaged with each other so'tha-t the various partsmay be collapsed for packing and transportation.

' A further object is to provide astructure of this character which maybe cheaply made, which is very simple, and which be easily set up ortaken down. 7 V p Other objects will appearin the course'of thefollowing description. Myfinvention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein I Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of my improvedinsect trap; I

may

" Fig.2 is a section on" the line 2--2-'of Fig. 3 is a plan View of thecone 25 in its flattened condition; 7 y

I Fig". 4 is asection through the cone at the joint thereof; and J Fig.5 is a fragmentary vertical section showing the manner in which the topof the trap is connected to the side walls.

-' Referring to these 'drawings, it' will 7' be seen that the trapcomprises an outer cage 45 A, as it may be termed, having four sides, atop and a bottom, and that the bottom has a central opening and thatwithin this cage is disposed a cone which is disposed over the centralopening, this cone having a contracted opening at its apex through whichthe insect enters the cage.

The cage A consists of sheets 10 of wire gauze forming the sides of thecage. These sides are adapted to be detachably connected to each otherand, therefore, I have provided for an interlocking engagement betweenthe sheets. Thus, for instance, the

sheet 10 has attached to its margin a sheet metal strip 11 which maybe"soldered or otherwise attached to the wire gauze and folded upon itself,as at 12, and'then angu-.

larly extended, as at 13. The adjacent sheet 10 is provided with a strip14 whichis folded upon itself to embrace the sheet 10 and then isrefolded upon itself, as at'15, to provide a recess or pocket for thereception of the angular flange 13, as illustrated clearly in Fig. 2.

It will be understood that any one ofthe sheets forming the sides of'thefly trap might be provided on one margin with the strip 11 and onanother margin with the strip 14:, or that one sheet may be provided onits opposite margins with-strips 11 and the other coacting sheets withthe strips 14. Inanycase, I have provided for a detachable engagement-between the sheets, and the strips 11 and 14 will hold thesheets in right angular relation, while the sheet metal strips at theedges of the sheet form the cornersof the completed rectangular memberand act as vertical supports for the cage." I

Resting upon the upper ends'of-the sheet 10* isa top 16 of sheet. metal,having a downwardly bent margin 17. The lower ends of the several wiregauze sheets 10 and 10 are reinforced by a foldedmetallic piece 18 andthe upper ends by a folded metallic piece 19. The downwardly extendingflange 17 engages over the upper ends of the side sheets, thus holdingthe sheets in rectangular form.

The bottom of the cage consists ofarectangularpiece of sheet metal 20which has an upwardly extending, marginal flange 21 and corner legs 22which are preferably an gular inform, and its top is formed with acentral, circular opening 23. v The bottom, around this circularopeningeis formed with an upwardly and inwardly extending flange 24. Thesides of; the cage will be'disposed "inward of the flange'21 and restupon the 1 bottom 20. This upwardly extending flange as at 26, to forman outlet opening. The margins of the wire gauze are provided withinterlocking strips ofsheet metal 27. It will be obvious now that thesector-shaped piece of wire gauze may be packed flat and when it. isdesired to set up the trap, this sector=shaped piece is bent to form acone, and the margins are interlocked-with=each1 other to hold the conein its conical form over the face of: this flange 24 whichforms the conesupport; I V 7 Thelegs22 are-very short so that the, bottom sheet. 20issupported at a' very slight distance abovethetable or other supportfor the fly trap. Asa matter-of fact, these legs are onlyabout 9;?-high. The object oi? making; the legs so short is'to allow but a littlelight toifilter into. the space between not attempt ,tovfly out or crawlout laterally Preferably, the, conejand side walls ofthe. gauze havingabout.

.14v by 33-. mesh.

thobottomot the trapzso that this space will be relatively dark so thatafter-the fly, moth,

or other insect has eaten the-bait which may be disposed between thetrapyit will go up through the cone to reach the lightand Wlll trap aremade of wire It will be seen that aitrap constructed accordance with myinvention is thoroughly effective for the-purpose 0t catching flies,moths, and; other insects, that it is-verylight andz-cheapllyconstructed, and that the parts mayibe' superposed flat upon each otherand veryi compactly packedg for-shipment;

Y ing-a bottom, topand side walls, the side wallsbeiiig formedofpsheetsof wiregauze,

the adjacent edges of: adjacent sheets being detachably engagedwith eachother, the top being formed with a downwardly extending flange havingdetachable engagement with 1 the:top of the; cage, the bottom-rot thecage beingformed 0t flat; sheetmetal and having relatively short legs atits corners and having a central-"opening. anda cone: madeof a sectorshaped sheet ofwire gauze, the side edges of the sheetihavinginterlocking strips attached theretoyeach'strip at one margin bemgfolded; to provide a. recess; receiving the edge of the wine-gauze and:at the OPbov site margin. being bent to :torm a hook,. the two hooksbeing. adapted to engage; with each other whereby'the sheet may be laidflat in. packing but whereby the side edges of; the sheet maybeaiterward' engaged with each otherto form a cone.

2. V A trap of the character described comprls ng a cage, rectangular inform and having-side walls of wire gauze, the sides of the side walls inrectangular relation,the bottom.

being providedat its corners with legs and with a; centralopening havingan: upwardly and inwardly extending flange, and: a cone gauze, thelateral edges of which having stripsof sheet metal applied thenetodetachably engaging each other, the upper end of the cone being cut ofi'to, provide an inlet openingat the apex of thecone,;and1the base of thecone being: adapted to: be set over:

said flange on: thebottom. 7

3 An insect trap comprising acage havinga bottom, top and side walls,the side Walls: being made of reticulated sheets, one

side margin of each sheet having attached thereto a stnipofmet'al bentto? embrace the margins of'the sheet and then rebent upon itself toforma longitudinally extending socket, theopposite' side marginof the sheetcomprising a sectors-shaped sheetof' wire having: attached thereto astrip of: metal bent to embrace the-sheet and then bent upon itself tothe edge of thesheet,. and thenangu larly bent fonjinsertion ins-aidsocket whereby said sheets formingythevsidewalls may haveinterlocking detachable? engagement is with each other,it;he upperends'ofithe-sheets being I'BlIlfOI'GGdQbY folded, transversely extendingstrips of metah theibottom of the cage being fonmediwith an upwardlyextending flange embracing the lower ends: of the sidewalls ofthe cageand beingalso formed with downwardly extending por .tionsforminglegs,,the.center otthe bottom having an opening, and a detachablecone of reticulated material disposed within the cage, over saidopeningand zextendingpupward into the: cage and having a relativelysmall exit opening, and a topeX-tend ng'over the-upper ends ofthesheets; andfdetachably 17 holding 7 them in: engagement with eachother.-

'Instestimo y whereof I: hereunto aflix; my signature in the.'resence-of two witnesses.

Witnesses: s

HOWARD-J. PEIRSOIJ, JTIJ'RNER. I

VWI LDAMQD. JOHNSON.

